HOUSTON -- Honored for his complete game, one-hit shutout win over Texas State with a career-high 10 strikeouts, Houston Baseball senior right-hander Austin Pruitt was recognized as this week's Conference USA Pitcher of the Week, announced by the league's office Monday.

"Austin is well deserving of this award," head coach Todd Whitting said. "He is one of the best pitchers in Conference USA and I'm proud of him for his performance this last weekend."

Pruitt pitched his second career complete game and nearly recorded a no-hitter as a Cougar on just 106 total pitches in Saturday 1-0 win at Texas State.

The Woodlands, Texas native, dealt a one-hitter, which was a grounder through the right side in the seventh inning. He faced one batter over the 27-hitter minimum in the win, while recording a career-high 10 strikeouts (5 K'd looking), surpassing his previous high of seven, which came in a 4-1 loss to Rice in 2012. Pruitt's 10 strikeouts were the most by a Cougar since Jared Ray fanned 10 in a 7-4 win over Tennessee on March 2, 2012 at the Houston College Classic.

Pruitt's nine innings pitched was a career-long outing as he tossed 8.2 inning vs. UCF last season. This shutout was the first Houston shutout by a starter since April 30, 2011 and his one hitter was the first one-hitter thrown in the program since Brad Sullivan tossed a one-hit gem vs. TCU back on May 16, 2002. The one-hitter was also the ninth in C-USA history and fourth by a Cougar in C-USA history.

This win marked his second victory of the year (2-0) as a starter and fifth of his career. He extended his scoreless inning streak to 15.0 innings this season and has yet to allow a run (earned or unearned) in those 15.0 innings pitched. He has walked just three hitters and fanned 14, while allowing just five hits - holding opponents to a mere .106 average. After Saturday's outing, Pruitt has now lasted at least 5.0 innings in 14 of his 16 career starts as a Cougar.

This is Pruitt's first C-USA weekly honor as he joins UCF's James Vasquez as this week's C-USA Hitter of the Week. Houston has now secured a Hitter and Pitcher of the Week in the season's first two weeks of 2013.

SINGLE-GAME TICKETSSingle-game tickets begin as low as $6 for youth and $8 for adults in general admission seating (Level 200) and as low as $8 for youth and $10 for adults in reserved seating (Level 100). Premium games for the Cougars will include the Baylor-New Orleans weekend, which runs from March 15-17, Texas on March 19 and the Rice series on April 19-21. Premium games begin as low as $8 for youth and $10 for adults in general admission seating (Level 200) and as low as $12 for youth and $15 for adults in reserved seating (Level 100).